Until reading "In a Dark Wood" I espoused "politically correct" environmentalist views -- such as "all old growth forests must be saved at any cost from evil logging" -- in a knee-jerk, emotionally charged, self-righteous way, without ever taking the trouble to study or think through what was really at stake, and what premises about reality underlay my views. Alston Chase's thinking on conservation is so clearly presented, so well backed by evidence, so carefully analysed, and so full of good will and integrity, that I find it impossible to read his book without respecting his intentions -- and his conclusions, which challenge everything I had unthinkingly assumed in the past. This is the kind of book that not only addresses concrete problems, such as the political struggle between, say Earth First and Maxxam Corporation, but also inspires the reader to think more deeply, and question his/her assumptions. This is the kind of book I think most self-labeled "environmentalists" -- especially those who come from white, middle class, college-educated backgrounds -- will dismiss prior to investigation, and will never read. If so, it is a sad loss. It's a book that can change your views and help you learn to think better -- and I believe most people would rather not do so, since thinking better might well spoil the dramatic excitement of waging a war of good against evil, nature against humanity. Still, I hope people will read this book. It's one that changed my life.

A graduate of Oral Roberts University, Kenneth Wood provides a clearly practical exposition on the process we can pursue to discover and follow our purpose in life. What 7 Steps for Highly Effective People is for the traditional business person, In Search of Purpose is for those seeking to grasp a greater understanding for their destiny.

This book also provides clear guidance for those seeking to either mentor or be mentored.

An excellent book for college graduates or young professionals!

A delightful biography of a pediatrician turned psychoanalyst who believed that it is important to understand mother and child relationships if one is to be of service. Winnicott presenteds theoretical formulations in a way which pediatricians, social workers, and others working with children can be helped to understand how to use their relationships with children and parents to its fullest degree.

In this skillfully-written and heartfelt collection of short stories, Adria Bernardi allows us to follow members of an Italian (and Italian-American) family through several generations. The connections between the characters of these stories are not always direct, and, in some cases, are more implied than stated. The stories could be read individually, or as a whole, as presented in this volume.

Spanning time from roughly post-middle ages to the present, the pieces in this collection allow us not only to observe, but, in some cases, inhabit these characters. One of the most compelling aspects of Bernardi's prose is her obvious love of and fascination with the mechanics of language itself. At times, the characters are depicted ruminating over words and their relationships to one another -- and rather than smothering the story itself in dry semantics, Bernardi accomplishes this with a gentle touch, leaving the reader with a very natural feeling of following these thought processes so that we might know these people better.

In the second story of the collection, 'Waiting for Giotto', a simple shepherd's son dreams of becoming a great artist, of being an apprentice to the great Giotto, for whom he patiently waits to return to his mountain village, as if by some miracle the great artist would recognize the man's talent and take him away to the city with him. The man knows in his heart that this will not happen, but he follows his muse ever forward, refusing to give up his calling. He sees and hears his world going by and going on around him -- people in his small mountain village live their lives as they have for centuries. Some take it upon themselves to leave and seek their fortunes -- to him, it is a duty and an honor to wait for his calling.

One of the most breathtaking passages in this book is contained in this story, when the would-be artist hears a traveller describing the horrors of the wars that are fought on the other side of the mountains: 'They say that Peace, herself, is revolted, and that she holds her stomach and retches; she has hidden her face under a hood and has started to walk away from the battlefields, following along in the ruts made by the wheels of carts, dragging herself along a muddy road that is lined with corpses, not even bothering to lift the hem of her cloak.'

The mountain-dwelling artist goes on collecting tiny bits of colored glass to be used in his masterpiece, a mosaic that may never be completed -- or seen by anyone.

The mosaic itself is another apt metaphor for the thread that connects these tales. Up close, it's hard to see -- upon reading the stories in this volume, and viewing them from a distance as a whole, the pattern is clearer.

The stories that touched me most deeply are the ones set further away in time and place -- perhaps as the characters in the indivdual stories became more 'Americanized' they appealed less to me. The pieces follow a roughly chronological order, the last being tied in nicely with the early ones -- in a way that you'll have to read the book to discover for yourself.

Bernardi is a very skillful writer -- she has managed to lay bare the soul and psyche of the Italian-American immigrants portrayed here, as well as that of ancestors who never left their village. Without reciting daily routines in a boring, travelogue-like manner, she has allowed us an intimate glimpse of her characters' daily lives -- and has allowed us to watch them become more acquainted with themselves in the process.

I look forward to reading her novel, THE DAY LAID ON THE ALTAR.

As a forester, I am always interested in literature that not only illustrates our connection to nature but also is based on good science. This gentle, loving book about a young girl's relationship with her Grandpa does just that. I won't bother to recap the story--other reviews have told the entire story. I will say, I think this book is a classic.

Kimberly Bulcken Root's sun washed paintings aptly illustrate this poignant and powerful story of the very special relationship between a young girl and her grandfather.

Our tale opens long before Ella, the narrator, was born. She tells of when her grandfather was young, strong enough to build a small house by the piney woods and the sea. Now, her grandfather is old. When she was little he helped her walk; now she helps him walk because together they love to roam the pine barrens.

It is during these times that they play together, pretending to be trees. It is also when he teaches her about seeds and pine cones, repeating the immortal phrase, "Everything has its time."

More than a view of the love shared by Ella and her grandfather, In The Piney Woods is also a reflection of the joys of family life as the house is happily shared by Mama, Papa, Big Sister Sada, and her husband Sam. Sada is expecting a baby in the summer, and the world will be different.

Ella and young readers (5 years and up) learn that nothing stays the same.

- Gail Cooke

This book has given many hours of enjoyment for our family. The different textures, rhyming, and fun activitiy make this 8 page book seem like 50. We have read it over and over, and everytime my son finds something new to look at. Great gift idea.

Lindsay Barrett George creates beautiful illustrations for this wonderful nature book. It's a lovely book to sit and read together--she asks "who's been here?" There are hints--a crushed leaf or a pawprint. The next page reveals the answer. Carefuly rendered, these illustrations and the puzzles they pose will definitely draw in any child, and inspire more than a few family nature walks, as children enjoy looking for their own natural mysteries. I highly recommend any books by this author/illustrator.

I belive that FAO reimpriming this information Tnks

This book is the other half of the author's excellent Information Security Policies Made Easy (version 8), which provides 1175 ready-made policies on CD ROM. What makes this book complement the policy book is that once the policies are written they are useless without defined roles and responsibilities assigned to manage and enforce them,

Included in this book (and in soft copy on the accompanying CD ROM) are organizational mission statements that form the framework for policies, job descriptions for major security role players, and organizational structures with reporting relationships.

The book does not merely present the roles and responsibilities - it goes into the hows and whys, and steps you through the definition and development of a security function in which the roles and responsibilities are defined. More important, the author does not use a canned approach, but provides alternative structures that will allow you to develop and implement the organization that is best aligned to your company. This is one of the most practical and flexible approaches I've seen, and shows the author's extensive experience and realistic attitude. Equally important is the fact that small companies are also addressed, making this book valuable to organizations of all sizes.

You're stepped through the process of identifying your requirements, tailoring the documents provided on the CD ROM to reflect those requirements, and given an idea of the time and resources needed to implement them. In addition to the documented roles and responsibilities and organizational structures provided, this book also covers (and the CD ROM provides) pamphlets to promote security awareness, memos, forms, action plans, a sample security manual and standards, and other documents that will be needed to effectively implement a security organization.

The chapter on common mistakes is worth its weight in gold, as are the appendices, which cover staffing levels, qualifications (this is valuable to HR), and IS security metrics.

Regardless of company size or scope of your security organization, this book will save literally hundreds of hours of research, document development and planning. Even for a small company of 25-100 employees this book will pay for itself many times over, and for a large company the value that this book (and the companion book I mentioned above) represents can run into the tens of thousands of dollars.

If you read this book in conjunction with Kent Bowen's Harvard Business Review article 'Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System (Sept. Oct. 1999) you will get more out of both. The language and case studies are a little different, but the purpose is the same: to develop a system to utilize the scientific method in problem solving at every level of the organization. This book can take you through this complex world and tie together all the fragments we've been studying for years. Whether it's called lean manufacturing or operating systems or TQM, they are all systems that tie tools together in a common purpose. Understand: (1) how to tie it together, (2) how to teach and learn about it, and (3) how to implement it. This isn't a book with just one idea rehashed over and over; the devil is in the details, and this is filled with useful details that have been tested and proven effective. Before you set about trying to change or design your organization, read this book first. The only thing that I would have liked to see to make it better is a chapter on Toyota, the most benchmarked Integrated Management System in the world.